Numerous products are packaged, stored, and transported in large cardboard boxes known in the art as gaylords. For example, gaylords are used to carry small pellets or granules of plastic which are ultimately processed into a final plastic product. Gaylords measure roughly four feet in width, length, and height although variations exist depending on the product contained within them.
Gaylords have finite service lives depending on their construction and the products which they enclose. Once the contents are emptied, the gaylord is reused to hold additional product or even scrap material. Utilization of cardboard is important since it is inexpensive and can be easily recycled after the service life has been reached.
The side walls of gaylords are constructed of multiple cardboard layers to enhance the strength of the gaylord. Many times the gaylords have no integral bottom. In those cases, lower portions of the side walls are turned inwardly into the box and a cardboard bottom is placed between the sides resting on the inwardly-turned lower portions. Because the products contained within a gaylord typically weigh between 800 and 1000 pounds, gaylords are frequently placed on pallets for easy transportation and storage.
Gaylords often do not have integral tops. A piece of cardboard is placed across the upper portions of the side walls and bent over the side walls so as to restrict the movement of the cardboard top. Generally, this piece of cardboard is nonstructural and merely serves as a cover for the gaylord. Thus, the contents of the gaylord are completely enclosed.
As with any other package, gaylords must be vertically stacked to provide for efficient storage of the enclosed product. However, stacking gaylords on top of one another is problematic. Because cardboard is not a rigid material, the sides of the gaylord can be damaged when subjected to typical stresses associated with handling and transportation. A side may be bent or even punctured such that its height is not the same as the remaining three sides. If a gaylord is stacked upon another gaylord having a damaged side, then the top gaylord tends to lean in the direction of the damaged side. The majority of the weight of the top gaylord now rests upon the damaged side of the lower gaylord due to the leaning. The more weight applied to the damaged side, the more damaged it becomes and the more slanted the stack becomes. Thus, stacking three or more gaylords usually amplifies the problem.
Another problem with stacking gaylords is due to the difference in sizes which may be found in a typical warehouse or industrial facility. Due to the dissimilarity, the gaylords cannot be stacked upon each other. And even if two gaylords are the same size, the sides of each gaylord must be precisely aligned to prevent the uppermost gaylord from falling from the stack. If a nonstructural top is used, it is incapable of supporting the weight of the vertically stacked gaylord and transferring the force associated with the weight to the sidewalls. And if a more robust top is used, it is still difficult to hold weight on a large flat sheet of cardboard without distorting it.
If the gaylord is exposed to a liquid, or even high humidity, the rigidness of the cardboard decreases. Many times a liquid is contained within the products packed in the gaylord. Thus, it is advantageous to capture any liquid from a source within, or even externally above, a gaylord to ensure the liquid is not released onto the gaylords stacked below the source. Additionally, capturing a solid product which is leaking from the gaylord, such as small pellets or granules of plastic, is also beneficial.
Although standard wooden pallets may be utilized to stack some products, wooden pallets are not desirable for stacking gaylords. If a wooden pallet is placed between two gaylords, the grooves between adjacent pieces of wood attached to the main wooden frame can catch a top edge of a side of the gaylord. Additionally, standard wooden pallets do not have the ability to capture a product leaking from the package. Furthermore, wooden pallets are expensive.
A need therefore exists for an inexpensive stacking device which overcomes the aforementioned shortcomings associated with stacking gaylords while capturing any product which may leak from the gaylord.